Burlap and Silk
by HeCallsMeHisChild
Summary: In the wake of a traumatic event, little Cindy-Lou is plagued by nightmares. When reality begins to exceed her worst nightmares, will the Grinch be able to stand up for her, or will she fall into the clutches of the man who snatched everything from her? Rated M for abuse.
1. Waking Nightmare

"Mommy? Daddy, I can't sleep." Cindy-Lou Who clutched the doorframe to her parents' bedroom, knees shaking, lip quivering. "I had that nightmare again."

The nightmare in question, a nightly trauma, had been waking little Cindy-Lou for nearly three weeks now. She didn't want to point fingers, didn't want to blame, but she couldn't help remembering the way He'd looked at her that day. The day He'd accidentally pushed past her, accidentally causing her to accidentally fall in front of the Hatter's oncoming car. The screech of the Hatter's tires as he applied the brakes that somehow hadn't been there that day—the brake fluid drained the night before.

He had stared at her, eyes burning with hatred. She knew He blamed her, thought it was all her fault, and maybe it was. But she wasn't sorry. She'd never had a better friend than the Grinch, and she wouldn't ever take back what she'd done.

Burlap pressed against her face as hairy green arms crushed her close. He hit the ground first, with a grunt, shielding her from the ground as they rolled out of the path of the oncoming car.

She could vaguely hear His voice apologizing, about how sorry He was, He'd just been in such a hurry. Her father's voice, angrier now than it had been before when He had held a higher station, telling Him He couldn't just push little girls aside like that.

The Grinch had picked Cindy-Lou up, brushed her off, patted her head, and left. He was like that. He still wore the burlap cloak and mask into Whoville, it made him more comfortable even though everyone knew by now it was him. Cindy-Lou had managed to make it back to her mother's side, clinging uncharacteristically close as His eyes kept drifting back to her, hatefully.

Eventually He had left, but ever since then, she had begun having nightmares. Someone was chasing her, someone horrible, someone who wanted to make her suffer, then kill her. She'd borne up under them quietly for a week, before breaking and crawling into bed with her parents. She'd gained several rings under her eyes, and a certain sallow look to her face that accompanied a lack of sleep.

The Grinch had noticed, even going so far as to comment gruffly that "Nosy little girls should be getting more sleep." She would just smile at him. He didn't need to know about the nightmares, it was bad enough her parents had to know about such un-who-ish behavior. Nightmares, who ever heard of having such a thing in such a happy town?

"Mommy?" She shuffled forward. "Daddy? I'm sorry. I really tried, but they keep coming back." The silence pressed down on her. She could hear her heart beating in her ears. It was a tired, sad sound, she thought. It would get better though, the nightmares always went away when she curled up with her parents.

Gingerly she climbed up on the end of the bed, ready to crawl between them when she froze. A smell hit her, a sickly smell, like copper. She huddled at the end of the bed, her heart beating harder. Something was wrong. More wrong than usual. They hadn't answered, hadn't woken up. If she just stayed where she was, then maybe they were just sleeping extra hard. But if she moved forward any more… then maybe they weren't.

"M-mommy?" She slid a hand along the blanket, toward where their hands usually were. "Daddy? I—" Her hand touched something wet. She pulled it back, lifting it into the moonlight spilling through the window. Her hand was sticky and dark.

She didn't know when she started screaming, but she couldn't stop. Not when her brothers came in and found her, not when the police came in and pulled her away, not even when they came to her and begged her to stop, there was nothing they could do, her parents were dead. But when she felt burlap pressed against her face, and strong, hairy green arms wrapped around her, the screams subsided into sobs. She clung to the Grinch, not sure she would ever be able to let go.

"It's alright Cindy-Lou." He held her tightly. "I'll make it alright. I promise."

….

**Note: **I know, I know, I said my next project was Elyon, I did, and I meant it… but I've had this idea for longer than I've been on Fanfiction, and I never really thought it was fanfictionable, but then I thought, well…. Maybe…. Dangit, this is how I end up with five open fanfictions at the same time! By the way, I know I have to have this disclaimer anytime I do any kind of very-close-friendship type fanfiction, but there's no Grinch-Lou romance here. Ever.


	2. Guardianship Not Granted

_I can't take this. I can't take this! I mean, she's just a kid! And not a kid like I was._ The Grinch knew it was heartless, but it wouldn't have torn him up if the Biddies had been killed. _Sure, I might'a been upset… maybe a little sad. But I would have been okay._ But Cindy… _She didn't grow up like me. She always had real parents. She'd never known life without them._

Now some heartless pile of garbage came and slit their throats in the night, and left her a pile of wreckage.

It didn't make any sense to him. Who did this sort of thing? The police didn't even know what to do, this had never _happened_ before. Not that anyone knew of. _I mean, I know if I lived here long enough I'd crack and throttle someone for sure, so it must have happened sometime, but obviously not anytime recently._

The Grinch couldn't concentrate on the cops though. Cindy had cried herself out, and now clung to him like a leech. He couldn't have pried her off, even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to.

A grand total of two police had showed up. The rest, he had been told, were searching thoroughly for the not-so-nice person who had done this. He'd gritted his teeth, knowing that probably meant they were knocking on doors, asking if the nice folks inside had killed anyone that night. _Bungling bugalongs._

Dru and Stu stood on either side of him, a true testament to their shock. Usually, even on the best of days, they wouldn't come within ten feet of him. But they seemed too stunned to care whether he was even in the room or not.

He growled lowly. "You two had better snap out of it real soon."

Stu glanced over to him dumbly.

"You're the only family Cindy's got now. Better get used to raising her."

Dru's jaw went slack, and Stu began to hyperventilate.

Anger spiked in the Grinch's gut, and it was all he could do to remind himself that he was holding Cindy-lou. "Don't you dare chicken out. Dru, you're grown into your nose now. Stu, you've almost grown it in all the way. You two better step up to it, and fast."

Neither of them would dare contradict him, so they nodded vehemently. The Grinch growled. He would probably still have to be Nanny to make sure they were doing their jobs. Perfect. Just what he needed. Maybe he could get Martha's help, she had to know more about kids than he did. Granted, she'd never had her own—yet—but she was at least a Who.

Cindy had nearly fallen asleep in his arms when he tried to set her down in her bed. Immediately she came awake, wrapping her arms around his neck. "No, don't leave me!" She begged. "He'll come get me!"

The Grinch groaned. "Cindy, nobody's coming sweetie. The police are crawling the place worse than fleas on Max. Nobody's gonna getcha."

"Don't leave! He will!"

"Who will? There's nobody here but your brothers and the cops and me."

Cindy just buried her face in his shoulder. "Don't go, please, I'm scared."

_What am I supposed to say, no?_ Sighing, he laid Cindy Lou back, perching uncomfortably on the edge of her bed. "Look, pipsqueak, if I stay here until you fall asleep, will you try to fall asleep?"

Cindy looked uncertain.

"I'll be back in the morning, I swear by green. First light, scout's honor, cross my heart and hope to sit through Easter Egg hunts."

The corner of Cindy's mouth twitched slightly, and the Grinch patted her head. "I'll be here till you sleep, kid. Now get some."

….

The next few days were a blur for the children of the Postman, and the Grinch. The Grinch had guessed right, there hadn't been a crime of this magnitude for hundreds of years. Up until recently, the worst crime around here had been his theft of Christmas, and before that the biggest news had been that somewho shoplifted a few candy canes.

Now the Grinch stood up to his ankles in snow, in the middle of mainstreet. Christmas was on the way again, in just a few months, yet not a single band marched. Not a light sparked. Not a bell jangled. No cars, no shoppers, and no snow-scraperdoodle for all this blasted snow.

It was worse than the day he stole Christmas. At least then, they'd all pulled together and sung those stupid songs and gotten his heart growing. Now he could sense the change. It was like before, when someone had yelled, "GRINCH!" Except, anyone could be the Grinch. It could be their neighbor, their grocer, their car shiner. Someone who looked like them, but wasn't really one of them anymore, because no Who could ever have done such a thing. He could see them, eyeing each other nervously from across the street, clutching their children tighter, then averting their gazes to the snow as they crunched through it as fast as they could.

He gagged at the thought that he might actually miss their cheerful attitudes.

Turning toward the courthouse, he trudged through the snow, burlap cloak pulled tight around him, mask pulled down over his face. Cindy had tried for months to get him to abandon the mask, but he couldn't. No matter how many times she begged and pleaded and promised that everyone thought he was wonderful now, he knew better. He could see the slight hesitation when any clerk dealt with him, or any Who crossed his path. Clause's crafts, he couldn't even walk down Main street without a Who child pointing at him and exclaiming, "Is that the Grinch?"

Cindy was right, of course, he knew everyone knew who he was, mask or no, but there were less stares. Less pointing. Even less suspicion. It's as if he fit better. And he could give Cindy-Lou a million excuses as to why he didn't get rid of it, from it being Max's first gift to him from the dump to the fact that it smelled of moldy cheese, his favorite scent. But the truth was, the stares bothered him, and the pointing prodded at old memories he'd rather stay buried. It was just easier, and thus the mask stayed on. At least in public.

Entering the courthouse, he tromped past the receptionist, ignoring the mat by the door and tracking in slush.

"Well," muttered the receptionist, huffing.

"Hire a janitor," The Grinch snarled, pushing open the courtroom doors.

Everyone was assembling. Cindy-Lou and her brothers sat near the front, all three looking pale. The room was nearly full already, and it was hard to make out everyone there. He hoped Martha was there, she'd promised to come. Cindy-Lou needed every friendly face she knew now.

The Grinch inched, bumped, and prodded his way to the seat right behind Cindy, and tapped her shoulder. She jerked around, tense, then relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Hey kid, just calm down. You've faced worse on Mount Crumpet, right?" He forced a wry grin.

A ghost of a smile crossed her face, and she opened her mouth to respond when the gavel came down, and everyWho's attention was drawn to the judge.

The newly elected Mayor of Whoville, as well as governing the city, held the responsibility of high judge. He hadn't yet settled into his position, and fumbled nervously with the gavel as it rebounded from his first emphatic BANG.

"The c-court will now come to o-o-order." Mumbled Judge Jerry-Gnu-Who. "We have r-r-reviewed the documents s-submitted to the court and have been a-asked to decide if S-s-stu-Lou-Who and Dru-L-l-lou-Who are fit guardians for Cindy-Lou-Wh-who. To the b-b-best of our knowledge, there is no b-b-etter g-guardian for a young Wh-who than her own family members. So, it is the d-decision of this court, that the g-g-gaurdianship of Cindy-Lou-Who be g-g-granted to—"

"Your honor," A voice rang out from the back, thick with worry and condescension. "I object. For the sake of this poor, poor Who-child's future, I must protest this decision."

…..

**Note: **I apologize if I haven't got the characters down quite pat. My obsession is Invader Zim, not the Grinch. I was just stewing over this idea for a long time and wanted to get it down, so please be a bit lenient when grading my first ever Grinch fic. Also, anyone (by any slim chance) who saw the first draft of this at 12:30 in the morning, I'm sorry, I stuck a copy of a chat I did with someone on a dating site on the end of my chapter by accident... I cleaned it up as soon as I realized. Someone was acting weird on me there... sorry if anyone saw it.


	3. Fighting Words

For a moment, the Grinch didn't turn. He hoped it was just the wax in his ears from the last three years that had garbled the voice so badly, it made him think he was hearing someone whose voice he never wanted to hear again. But as everywho's head whipped around, and a murmur of surprise rippled through the room, he knew it was exactly that Who.

Augustus May Who had fallen out of favor soon after the Grinch gained it. The next mayoral election had turned against him viciously, leaving him with a landslide of a loss against a less worthy opponent. With the loss of his position, held for four consecutive terms before that, came a loss of respect and status. People no longer bowed out of his way, or held doors for him, or begged them to kiss adorable babies.

Augustus had faded out of the public eye, now blending into the crowd instead of standing apart from it. The Grinch had watched this with no small amount of satisfaction, considering it the fickle justice of the universe landing just a little more in his favor.

_What does he want here, now?_

"I regret that I must inform the court," the former mayor's voice oozed an overblown dismay, "that these two young Wholigans are not fit to raise such a sweet, innocent child as Cindy Lou Who."

"And wh-wh-what evidence do you have to supp-pp-pport this opinion, M-M-May… I mean Aug-gustus?" The judge stammered, uncertainly.

Augustus cast his eyes toward the ground, as if ashamed to say. "I'm afraid… these two… have taken up Who-Hash."

A few chuckles broke out amongst the crowd.

"Au-augustus, there is n-nothing wrong with Who-Hash, we h-h-have it every Christmas."

The Grinch could have sworn he saw a glint in Augustus' eyes. "Not the potato kind, your honor."

You could have heard a holly berry drop.

And then, the courtroom broke into pandemonium. Everyone was yelling and gasping and demanding if their neighbor knew about this.

Stu bolted to his feet first. "That's a lie! My brother and I never touch that stuff!"

Augustus turned to them, dripping sincerity. "Boys, I'd like to believe you, really I would, but then, why did I find this in your room?" Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a bag of strange, purplish fibers.

The Grinch felt his stomach bottom out. His head snapped back to the brothers, fury on his face, but his anger stopped cold at the look on their faces.

_They've never seen that before._

"There's more in each of their rooms. I passed by their windows, and glanced in. I was able to see them each using it, not three days ago."

By this time, the courtroom resembled a 90% off shopping craze. Everywho was pushing and shoving and accusing. No one could believe someone had the NERVE to use THAT kind of Who-Hash, not in this town. That sort of thing was something they heard vaguely about in far off places, but not in Whoville. Jerry-Gnu-Who banged his gavel helplessly, sputtering for order, and in the middle of it all stood the former mayor, a sickening grin on his face.

Raising his hand, he shouted over the crowd, "Your Honor, with all due respect, these boys are not fit to raise such an innocent little girl as this."

_He wouldn't._

"So it is with great humility that I petition the court to become her legal guardian."

That got the court's attention. The shouting died down, and the eyes all trained on Augustus.

"Even if the boys hadn't been messing around with this," he gestured at the bag distastefully, "They're far too young to govern a child. The responsibility should lie with someone older, someone with more experience."

The Grinch couldn't take it any longer. Shooting to his feet, he turned to Augustus, glaring. "And that somebody is you, I suppose?"

Pausing, Augustus glanced at the Grinch, allowing a condescending smile to cross his face. "Why yes. Who else would it be? You?"

He felt it coming out of his mouth, almost in slow motion as he desperately tried to pull it back in, but it slipped off his tongue and hung there, for everyone to hear. "Yeah. That's right. Me. I petition too."

Augustus folded his arms, smirking, and the Grinch suddenly felt like he'd stepped into a trap.

"You," the Who let the word fall contemptuously. "I would like to ask the court, have they seen the residence of the Grinch lately?"

The Grinch blinked. "My what?"

"His home, has anyone seen it?" He turned around. "No? Nobody? Well, I have. Please, allow me to present the court these photographs." He strode to the front of the room and dropped a stack of pictures in front of the judge. "Exhibit A, your honor, the Grinch's… home. That is, I think, a generous word to call it."

It took all his self control not to leap over the three Whos between him and the aisle and throttle the man. "When were you snooping around my cave?"

Augustus' eyes hardened. "Oh, I'm sorry, you must have been busy. I knocked, but you weren't there. Maybe you were visiting your girlfriend."

The Grinch lunged forward, but several hands held him back.

"O-order! Mister G-Grinch, there will be no v-v-violence in this c-c-ourtroom," Jerry-Gnu-Who tried to sound stern as he sifted through the photos. "Oh d-d-dear. Is th-that a pile of b-b-broken glass?"

"But your honor, that isn't the only reason he is unfit to care for a Who child," Augustus returned his attention to the judge. "And really, although I hate to state the obvious, he isn't a Who. He never has been, he never will be. How can he know how to raise a Who child? I mean, look at him. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, the mask." He whispered dramatically, "So nobody really remembers he's not a Who." He straightened. "The Grinch dares not even show his real face anymore. Anyone who can't show their face isn't trustworthy, isn't safe."

The Grinch could feel the grips of those holding him back tighten with every word Augustus spoke.

"But me?" Augustus gestured to himself. "I have a lavish home. I would have a warm room, and toys, and hot food waiting for her day and night. I would make sure she received the finest education, and the best opportunities life had to offer a young Who. You all know me," here, he turned to the crowd. "You all see my face every day. I'm not ashamed of the Who that I am. Your Honor," back to the Judge. "I beseech you. Let me bring the child home with me."

The Grinch wrenched hard against the arms holding him, but there were too many of them. He opened his mouth to protest, when his eyes fell on Cindy Lou. She hadn't turned around once. She hadn't looked at Augustus once, or even raised her head. She had, in fact, drawn her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, and she was shaking like a leaf.

_Cindy?_

"Based on the evidence-ence presented t-t-to this court," the Judge mumbled, "It is our de-de-decision to award custo-tody of Cindy Lou-Who to Augustus M-M-May-Who. Of-Officers, take S-Stu and Dru-Who to the cells."


	4. Nightmare Begins

She'd known. Ever since He stepped into the room, she'd known. He had come for her, and He would not leave without her.

She could hear the Grinch's angry, scratchy voice speaking up against Him, and for a moment, she had hope. Would the Grinch really take care of her if her brothers couldn't?

But the smug victory in His voice deflated the hope. He knew exactly what He was doing, and He had planned every step. When the gavel came down, and her fate decided, all she could do was hug her knees. Perhaps, she thought, if she wished very, very hard with all the Christmas wishes she had never known what to do with, she could disappear, become invisible so He could never find her.

His hand closed on her shoulder, the grip just hard enough to confirm her fears. It lifted her from her seat onto unsteady legs, and propelled her down the aisle toward the doors. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a flailing mass of green and brown being held back before she was swept through the doors.

He marched her to his little auto, nothing as grand as what he had before, and set her inside. He smiled at her, patting her cheek, his eyes as cold as ice. Numbly, she realized people were still watching. Maybe she could call for help, tell them what a mistake had been made. She opened her mouth, and stretched out her hand, but he caught her hand in a steely grip, and covered it with his own in a parental gesture. Leaning forward, he whispered, "Do that again, and I'll break every finger. Say one word, and I'll cut your tongue out."

Her arm dropped to her side as he released it, and she turned in her seat to face forward. He slid into the driver's seat, and took a long route to his house. He used several main streets, waving at people he saw, and occasionally patting her on the head when they looked over. She felt nausea climbing her throat. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad, maybe he was just using her to regain peoples' favor.

_Please, please, please let that be all._

The car pulled to a stop in front of His house. Already reporters had gathered, cameras flashing, asking questions. He pulled her out and into His arms. She wanted to push away, but she knew this would anger Him, so she endured. He stayed out for at least fifteen minutes, in the cold snow, answering questions. When she began to shiver, He excused Himself. "How thoughtless of me," He chuckled, "I have a child to care for now, excuse me gentlemen, I need to get this one some hot chocolate."

They all smiled knowingly. Several of them had children of their own, she knew them from School. They were thinking of their children, no doubt, and of the hot chocolate they would bestow as well.

She knew there would be none for her.

He brought her inside and closed the door. She heard a strange sound, the sound of a piece of metal sliding across another. She looked up to see Him turning a knob on the door. Her curiosity got the better of her.

"What is that?" She asked.

He turned, the ice spreading from his eyes to the rest of his face. "That, Cindy Lou Who, is a lock. It keeps a door closed so that naughty little girls do not escape."

She took a step back.

He matched her, step for step.

"Tell me something Cindy, what were you thinking that day when you nominated the Grinch, hm?"

She continued to step back.

"Were you thinking, 'Oh, let's shame and humiliate the most important man in Whoville in front of everyWho on the most important day of the year'?" He towered over her. "Or how about, 'Let's make sure nobody ever votes for him again, let's make sure he becomes just like every other Who." He grabbed her arm, His perfectly manicured fingernails digging into her skin. "Or what about, 'You know, it would be great fun to see the Who he loves fall in love with someone _who isn't even a Who!_' How about it, Cindy?"

Cindy's free arm clutched at His hand, attempting to pry herself loose. A strangled cry slipped from her, and he released her. For a second, the relief from pain was all she could think about, until his open palm collided with her face. She spun around, the side of her head cracking against the wall behind her.

She curled up on the ground, under her little red cape, feeling something wet slide down her face. His hand grabbed the back of her dress, yanking her up to face Him. His face wasn't like a Who's face anymore, somehow. It was more like a dog's face, a mean one, snarling and barking, with sharp teeth and hateful eyes. She was having trouble hearing what He said, but there was something about obeying, that she had better do everything He told her, or things would be worse. Her head wobbled back and forth in a weak nod.

Turning, He dragged her to the back of the house. He stopped at a large bookcase. His fingers ran over the spines, choosing one that said "Happy Parenting Tips," and tugging on it. The bookcase slid aside to reveal a tiny room, no larger than a small shed. Inside, taking up most of the space, were several dozen copies of the Book of Who.

"Since you love the book so much," He sneered, "I thought they could keep you company. Sleep on them, play with them, eat them for all I care. That, and some bread and water, are all you'll be getting from now on." He turned her to face him. "And if I hear one peep out of you, one little squeak, there will be punishments. Are we clear?"

Her eyes filled with tears, but she wobbled her head again. A cold smile split his face. "Good. Now, in you go."

Turning, she forced her legs to move her forward, step by step, into the tiny room.

"By the way," he sneered, "I hope you're not afraid of the dark."

She spun around, eyes wide and arms outstretched in a plea as the bookcase slid shut, plunging her into total darkness.

For a moment, all she could think about was how loudly she could scream.

Plastering her hands over her mouth, she knelt and rocked back and forth, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't scream. She couldn't say anything, or call any attention to herself. He would hurt her, she knew He would. She saw it in His eyes. He had killed her parents, and when He was tired of breaking her, He would kill her too.

…..

A lone green form stood at the top of Mount Crumpet, overlooking the town. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, he allowed. Maybe Cindy Lou would be better with him. _If you ignore the underhanded snob-gobbery of that stuck-uppity Who jerk, there's probably a semi-decent caretaker there somewhere._ He sighed. What Augustus had said was true. The Grinch was not a Who, and had no idea how to care for a Who child. Perhaps Cindy would be better off with him. Maybe she would tell him how things were going on his next trip into town.


	5. Suspicions Aroused

The sun had barely risen past the horizon when the Grinch slipped out from the Dumpit To Crumpet garbage can. He hadn't been able to sleep, his thoughts racing back and forth with worry. He shouldn't worry, he knew that. Augustus might be cruel to him because he wasn't a Who, but nobody would hurt Cindy.

And yet he couldn't get it out of his mind, the way she'd shaken at his entrance to the courtroom, and hadn't even looked up.

So he went to the Who who knew Augustus best, with the exception of the uncomfortably obsessed Whobris. Approaching the neatly swept steps, he knocked on the door, freshly coated against the winter weather.

The door swung open, revealing a woman wrapped in a baby blue bathrobe, with curls tumbling rampant off her head. Her eyes searched his, and lowered as she stepped aside. "I had a feeling you might come by."

"Hello Martha." He dipped his head, eyes trained on the ground. He shuffled the snow from his feet as he entered, something he wouldn't do for any other household, but he allowed as a concession to her tidy house. He just hoped she didn't remember—

"Take it off."

He groaned. "Martha."

"You know the rule. If you want to visit me, I want to see your face."

The Grinch sighed, flipping the mask up and over his head. "Happy?"

"No, but that's better." She slipped her hand into his, leading him into the living room. Pushing him down onto the couch, she seated herself next to him.

Usually any kind of contact with Martha made his head spin and sent visions of—ugh—_sugarplums_, dancing around his head, but today all he could do was grip her hand tightly, staring at it, as if afraid that, once he let go, she would vanish.

"Grinch," She winced, "I know you're upset, but my hand isn't iron."

Instantly his grip loosened, his head lowering further, apologetically.

She looked at him sadly. "How long did they have to hold you back?"

His shoulders lifted and fell in a shrug. "I didn't keep track."

She pulled his hood back carefully, and rested a hand on the back of his neck, massaging the tense muscles there. His eyes closed as he felt the knots unwind slightly. He knew she would wait until he started talking, if it took him all day. He might as well get it off his chest now.

"Martha," he began hesitantly, "You know Augustus." Her fingers paused. "You know what he's like, more than I do. He wouldn't," his voice faltered a little. "He wouldn't hurt Cindy-Lou… would he?"

"Is that what you're all worried about?" She smiled. "Augustus wouldn't hurt a fly. Yes, he was cruel, but even you have to admit, he never laid a hand on you. It was words, and nothing more."

Some weight lifted from the Grinch. True, Augustus had always been a blowhard, not a violent type.

_She looked so small and frightened._

He sat up, glancing at her. "Martha, I want to go see her, make sure she's alright. Will you…?"

She nodded, adjusting her robe. "Just give me a moment to dress."

…

The Grinch replaced his mask, despite Martha's scolding, as he left the house. She might have her way in her home, but out in Whoville, the mask stayed on. At his side, Martha May Who, in a candy cane striped blouse and green leggings.

A few Whos had returned to the streets, shopping for things they wanted and longing for things they couldn't afford this time around. There wasn't such a crowd that the Grinch felt hemmed in, and yet not enough to suggest that things had gone back to normal just yet.

They passed by the trade-in bookstore, where a slightly larger crowd of Whos congregated, murmuring amongst themselves. The Grinch nearly passed them by, until Martha grabbed his robe, jerking him to a halt.

"Grinch," She hissed, "It's Augustus."

He whipped his head around, eyes focusing past the bustling crowd. Sure enough, there he was, taking questions from reporters, every last one of which lapped up his words like a cat would for milk.

The Grinch stretched up on his tiptoes to see over the crowd. Sure enough, there, by Augustus' side, was a small, red-caped figure. Her blank, controlled expression sent chills down his spine. He noted, with displeasure, Augustus' hand firmly clenching Cindy's, which lay limp as a gutted fish. That wasn't like her.

"Something's wrong, Martha," He growled. "I need you to get Augustus' attention, I have to talk to Cindy-Lou."

Martha glanced at him questioningly. "Grinch, you know he hasn't spoken to me since you brought Christmas back."

"I know," his eyes remained on Cindy. "Try something, anything. Something's wrong."

Martha grimaced. She wasn't going to enjoy this. She had been attracted to Augustus once, and manipulating him would be unfair, but the Grinch knew Cindy better than anywho—anywho who still lived, anyway. If he needed to talk to her alone, she would figure out a way.

….

The Grinch couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as Martha sent a sidelong glance toward Augustus, one that stopped his speech in its tracks. He kept his grumblings to himself, however, as the former mayor glanced down at Cindy-Lou, gave her a firm instruction, and waved off the reporters. He turned, striding toward Martha.

Seizing the opportunity, the Grinch made for the door, walking past Cindy and grabbing her hand as he did. She stumbled along after him, bewildered, as he pulled her down an aisle of books. Turning to her, he crouched so that he was at eye level.

"What are you doing?" She whispered in a panicky voice. "I can't leave, he told me I had to stay right there, I have to go back!"

The Grinch blinked. He hadn't expected that. "Blast what he said, I want to talk to you."

"I can't!" She began tugging her arms away, trying to get back to where she'd been ordered to stay.

"Cindy," He held her arms firmly. "Look at me, you look me in the eyes right now. What is going on? Why are you so afraid of him?"

Cindy stared at him, eyes round and wide for a moment. "Good Parenting," She murmured.

The Grinch blinked. "What?"

A gloved hand closed on Cindy's shoulder, and her face went blank.

"Cindy," Augustus' voice was stern and commanding. "I thought I told you to stay where I could see you."

The Grinch rose slowly, aiming one of his rare, truly menacing glares at the Who before him.

Augustus just smiled. Leaning forward, he grinned, "Go ahead. Make a scene. Try to hit me. I wish you would."

The Grinch could feel his muscles clench, could feel the helpless rage beginning to build. But he knew. He knew if he did anything to Augustus, it would only convince the idiotic populace that Cindy was in the right hands, and that the judge had been right not to award custody to such a creature as him.

Augustus turned Cindy around, throwing one more snide smile over his shoulder, and guided her out the door.

The Grinch could only stare after them. He couldn't recall feeling more helpless in his entire life.

….

**Note: **Sorry, know this chapter isn't the best, but I have to write some "drudgery" chapters, those that move the plot along. I hate this kind, but they are necessary for the plot to proceed as planned.


	6. Razors and Scissors

"Maybe you don't quite understand," He marched her up the steps of his porch, guiding her through the door gingerly, casting a quick glance over His shoulder before following her through, closing and bolting it behind Him. "That when I say you stay in one place and don't speak to anywho, I mean it."

He turned, his expression dark. "I don't mean for you to make any exceptions. Maybe I didn't make that very clear."

Cindy's legs shook as she backed away from him. "Please Mister Augustus, I—"

His leg lifted, driving his shined leather shoe into her stomach. She stumbled back against the wall, the wind driven out of her.

"In this house," He replied in a pleasant tone of voice. "You will address me as Mayor May-who Sir. In public, you will call me Father. That is, if I choose to ever take you out again. If you continue to cause me trouble," He grabbed one of her braids, yanking upward. She stretched to her tiptoes, grabbing onto the braid and trying to ease the pressure as the roots strained against His grip. "Then I will be forced to keep you in your room at all times. As it is, you need a reminder of just what a bad little girl you are."

"Please Mister—Mayor May Who Sir, please…"

"Please what?" Her feet left the ground as He yanked viciously. "Finish your sentences, Cindy. You never had a problem doing it before."

_Please don't kill me, please stop hurting me,_ flashed through her mind. But she could never say that.

"Please… could I go to my room?" She gasped.

He chuckled, keeping ahold of her braid as He lowered her back to the floor. "Almost, but not quite." With quick strides, He dragged her down the hall to the bathroom, shoving her in. Grabbing a pair of scissors, He jerked a braid once more, before it was snipped clean from her head. She stared in the mirror as He cut each of her braids, shearing them close to her head.

_Mommy used to spend hours braiding my hair just right,_ she thought, numbly.

Tossing the scissors aside, he picked up a shaving razor, eyes glinting. "You're such close friends with that creature, you know. He liked razors too. I wonder how it went for him, was it like this?" He pressed the razor to her scalp, drawing a line of bare skin down through her ragged hair. "Or maybe like this." He jerked it haphazardly across her head a few times, leaving scraggly, uneven patches of hair here and there as he butchered her hair. His silk sleeves brushed past her cheeks, neck, and scalp as he moved his hands. "There, look at yourself." He set down the razor, smiling again. "Quite an ugly little child, just like he was. You'll grow up to be just as ugly as him too."

Cindy stared at herself in the mirror, willing herself not to cry. She tried to imagine walls inside of her chest, sealing away her heart so it couldn't see what was happening to her and hurt because of it.

"If anyone asks the next time we go out," he bent close to her ear, whispering, "You're going to say you wanted to try a new haircut. You did this, do you understand? It's just the result of a stupid child playing with scissors and razors."

She swallowed her tears, nodding dully.

"You may tell that to the Grinch if you see him again. But you may not speak to him ever again afterward. Now you may go to your room."

….

The next day, the Grinch returned to the town, hoping to get another word with Cindy. He stayed outside the school, waiting for her to get out of class. He was confused when he was unable to pick her out of the little wholigans pouring out of the doors. Approaching the teacher, he asked if she had seen Cindy.

"Why would I have?" The teacher looked at him quizzically. "I mean, yes, she was one of our brightest students, but she was withdrawn from the school by her guardian. He said he intends to teach her from home."

A sour taste rose in the Grinch's mouth as he left the school grounds. Things weren't adding up. Cindy Lou's fear, the Who brothers being found with Who Hash at just that time, and now Augustus was homeschooling Cindy? "He could barely do basic math in gradeschool and he expects me to believe that garbage?" He growled to himself.

He paused, his ears picking up the sound of pencils scratching and cameras flashing. Reporters. Lately the only thing reporters congregated for was…

It took him all of twenty seconds to locate the small bevy of Who reporters that seemed to constantly trail Augustus whenever he left his house now. Next to him, eyes fixed firmly on the ground, was a young Who boy in a dress. He looked like he'd taken a razor to his head, and done bad job with it.

_That boy looks very girly._

"Well," Augustus seemed to be wrapping up a story. "As I always say, children will be children. She's learned her lesson now, and won't be playing with razors again."

With a stab of horror, Grinch realized he was looking at CindyLou.

"What did you do to her you bastard?" He roared, shoving his way forward.

The reporters whipped around. A couple of them fainted, while the others furiously scribbled down the first use of that word in decades.

Augustus raised his eyebrows. "Why hello, Grinch. I haven't done anything. I may have been a bit careless and left out my shaving kit, but I assure you I had nothing else to do with this. Ask her yourself."

The Grinch knelt at eyelevel with Cindy, drawing her face to meet his. "Cindy, look at me. Tell me, what happened?"

Her eyes were dull and flat as she responded, "I wanted to cut my hair."

Grabbing his mask, he ripped it off, snapping the elastic. His yellow eyes burned fiercely into hers. "Cindy-Lou-Who. You tell me. Right now. What did he do?"

Her eyes filled a little, and her voice wavered as she responded, "It was me. I won't do it again. I learned my lesson."

Something was happening, but he wasn't quite sure what. He was pretty sure the shade of red he was seeing wasn't normal, but he was enjoying the look of fear in Augustus' eyes as he advanced on the Who. At least, until several Who-hands restrained him. The shade of red, he decided, must be a good thing. He didn't think he'd be able to throw off the grips of several dozen Whos as easily as he did otherwise. Augustus stumbled back, clutching Cindy-Lou's arm tightly as he did.

Something heavy slammed into the back of his head, and the red faded to black.

…..

Cindy couldn't even cry out as a reporter, desperate to prevent the violence, shattered his camera over the Grinch's head.

"Well done, good man." He brushed Himself off, directing a nod toward the cameraman. "I thank you, I'll make sure your camera is replaced."

"Well, no need sir." The man looked down at the Grinch, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Guess he just doesn't know when to quit."

"I suppose not." He shook his head. "Well, now I have to file a restraining order against him. Maybe even a house arrest notice."

A gasp of surprise rose from the reporters.

"I know," He sighed, "It hasn't happened for many, many years. But then, there's never been a situation like this before, and I don't think she's safe with him nearby. I think we can all agree life would be simpler, easier, if he just stayed on Mount Crumpet."

Cindy looked down at the Grinch, unconscious in the snow as the reporters began taking down the details of what had happened for their respective stories.

_This can't be happening to me._

"Come along, Cindy. It's about time we got you home." His hand closed around her shoulder again, guiding her back to what had become her waking nightmare.


	7. Who No More

Note: For the record, I'm changing this rating to an M, NOT for sexual themes. Augustus will not go quite that low. But I realize the more I describe the abuse CindyLou is going through, the more intense this gets. So, from this point on, the rating has been changed to M.

…

"You weren't nearly convincing enough." The back of His hand slammed across her face, sending her sprawling. "You almost cried out there. Where was the smile I told you to give? You were supposed to laugh like it was funny what you did." His shoe came down on her back, pressing down hard. Her lungs struggled for air as she gripped the carpet, trying to wriggle free.

"You don't learn, do you?" He snarled, grabbing the back of her cape and yanking her up. The strings cut into her neck, closing off her windpipe as he dragged her over to the kitchen. Rummaging with one hand in a cupboard, he came out with a small strip of leather. Turning, he bent down and shoved the strip of leather into her hands. "Put it on."

Cindy let it fall from her hands, trying to concentrate on pulling air back into her lungs. Again, the back of His hand.

"Put it on!"

She could feel blood running from her mouth and nose as she fumbled for the strip of leather. _Put it on? How?_ And then she saw the buckle, and the little name tag dangling from the leather. It read Cindy Lou Who.

She shuddered. _How long did he think about this?_ Choking, she held the collar up to her neck, buckling it from behind.

"The first right thing you've done all day," He shook his head, "Now, we're going to take a break from going out for awhile. I was lenient with you at first, but now I want to make sure you know just what a horrible Who you are. From now on, you may not stand up."

Dismayed, Cindy looked up at Him.

"You may walk on all fours if you choose. Be glad I'm letting you do that. And tonight, your food is over there." He gestured to the end of the kitchen, where dish of kibbles and a bowl of suspiciously slimy looking water lay.

She didn't move.

His eyes darkened. "Is this not good enough for you, Cindy?"

She could only stare at it.

"I thought we learned our lesson. I guess not." Grabbing her by the collar, he dragged her back to the bookcase. Tugging at Good Parenting, he opened the room, tossing her inside. "You can come out when you're ready to eat like a sensible dog."

The bookcase closed behind her. She could still feel the blood running down her face, making it difficult to breathe. Groping toward the nearest copy of The Book of Who, she flipped it open, grabbing a page. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm sorry," before tearing a page free. Crumpling it up, she pressed it to her face, hoping to stop the blood.

It was so dark. She hadn't eaten since the day before, when he'd tossed in a hard biscuit. She felt around, wondering if she'd left any crumbs. No luck. Maybe He would give her another biscuit, and she wouldn't have to face the bowl of slimy water and kibbles.

She ran her hands over the spines of the books, counting them. She'd counted them the first day, and counted the pages of one the second, but she wasn't sure what else to do. Counting things gave her some sense of passing time.

She'd opened one copy and turned through the pages back and forth, all 1,000 of them, three times, before her hunger began giving way to another, more insistent need. She shifted, crossing her legs and biting her lip. She'd been fortunate enough to gain a few moments whenever He let her out to use the restroom, but He'd been in such a hurry to bring her out for humiliation this morning, she hadn't had the chance.

She closed her eyes, lying on her side. Maybe if she fell asleep, she wouldn't have to think about it.

….….

The Grinch groaned, holding his head. Something on the inside was pounding to get out, or he was a sugarplum fairy. He opened his eyes blearily.

Max sat there, looking dolefully down at him.

"Max?" He grumbled, "What are you doing down in Whoville?"

Max let out two sharp barks.

"What do you mean I'm home? I was just in Whoville."

A yip, bark, and a yelp.

"WHAT?!" He shot to his feet, looking around. Sure enough, just as Max said, there he was, just outside of his cave. And just a few levels down, where the garbage chute was, a team of Whos were busy sealing it shut.

The Grinch took five steps down before a hand on his arm stopped him. Turning, he found himself face to face with Officer Yoo.

"I wouldn't go down there if I were you, Mr. Grinch. They gave you a gentle ride up, but a few of them look like they want to throw you down the side of the mountain."

The Grinch jerked his arm away, seething. Officer Yoo had always been slightly more than civil to him, ever since the day he chose not to arrest the Grinch for the theft of Christmas. The Grinch had appreciated it, but he'd be a nutcracker's uncle if he let anyone get in his way at this point.

"Mr. Grinch, that wasn't a suggestion." Sighing, Officer Yoo held out a document. "This is an official order. You're not to enter Whoville under any circumstances."

"What?" That got his attention. "Officer Yoo-Who, you can't be serious. Cindy Lou needs me, she's with a monster, you don't understand!"

Yoo looked down at the ground, his jaw tight. "Look, Mr. Grinch, between you and me, I don't trust him that much myself. But I don't think he'd really hurt her. She probably just got into his shaving kit, like he said."

The Grinch peered hard at Officer Yoo, who refused to meet his eyes. "_You_ don't believe that," he stated, dumbfounded. "You don't even believe the crap you're giving me, how do you expect me to believe it?"

"There's no need for such strong language!" Officer Yoo returned sharply. "There's nothing that can be done, for all accounts and purposes, Cindy Lou Who is in very capable hands." He paused, glancing up for a moment. "Until proof is found to the contrary."

The Grinch paused, and a slow smile crossed his face. "I see. Well Officer, I suppose I'll just stay up here then, and never bother the city of Whoville ever again."

"You'd better." Officer Yoo warned, "Keep out of my sight, _understand?_"

"Completely." The Grinch agreed, a plan already forming in his head.

…

The door swung open, the light startling Cindy-Lou to consciousness.

"Have you decided to behave and eat your dinner yet—ugh…" He lifted a kerchief to his nose. "What is that smell?"

Alarmed, Cindy looked around herself. To her dismay, she realized she'd been unable to hold it in while she slept. She sat in a small, putrid puddle, her clothes soaked in it.

"Cindy," The Mayor's voice was deceptively gentle. "Do you know what you do to dogs who soil the carpet?"

She kept her head down, but shook it slightly.

"Well, you just make sure they never do it again. And this is how." Grabbing the collar, He shoved her face toward the puddle. She struggled, horrified and sickened. He stopped for a moment, and whispered, "Your brothers may be in jail, but they're relatively safe right now. That could change very, very easily."

She went limp in his grip, allowing him to lower her face to the puddle.

_I am a dog… I am a dog… if I'm a dog then this isn't bad. This isn't disgusting. I am a dog._

But the second her face touched the liquid, she vomited a thin stream of bile. Nothing else was in her stomach to retch.

"Ah well, just more to learn from," He remarked, pressing her face into the increasingly disgusting puddle.

Her body continued convulsing in disgust, heaving even when there was nothing left to bring up. She gagged and coughed, spluttering as he finally lifted her up.

"There. Now, are you ready to have dinner?"

Miserably, she nodded.

Releasing her, He stood aside, waiting. She began rising, unsteadily, until He cleared His throat.

_I am a dog._

Sinking to her hands and knees, she crawled out of the room and into the kitchen. There they sat, the two bowls.

_I am a dog._

Opening her mouth, she took a few of the kibble bits between her teeth, crunching on them. They didn't taste so bad… and she was so hungry. She swallowed them, and opened her mouth for more.

The kibbles she'd just eaten were heaved up. Nothing was left in her stomach to receive the food. Crumpling to the floor, she sobbed helplessly.

A sharp pain sent her spinning against the cabinets. He'd kicked her again, but in the ribs. Something cracked, it hurt. She gasped, the edges of her vision darkening. Maybe if she drank something He wouldn't hurt her.

She bent over the water dish, and took a swallow. It slid down her throat, slimy and slick, but it was water.

She didn't see the satisfied look on His face as He dragged her back to the tiny room. She just curled up as far from the puddle as she could get, and turned her Christmas wishes in a different directions.

_ Please let him kill me quickly._


	8. Which She?

Cindy drifted in and out of consciousness. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the cramping of her stomach said a long time. She no longer had control over her body. She'd started feeling weak shortly after He'd returned her to the room. Then she'd heaved up the water, sloshing it all over the books. She thought she would feel better, but she couldn't stop heaving, even when there was nothing left. Every few minutes, a new convulsion would wrack her tiny form.

The room smelt of her sickness and filth, and every book was covered in it. She wondered, as she wandered in and out of her haze, if the books could ever forgive her. The Book of Who was such an important book, and she'd done so much to honor it when she could. She hoped it would understand she'd tried.

Light, blinding and cruel, poured over her. She couldn't even lift her hands to block it. She wondered if He'd finally come to kill her.

She smelt His clean scent as He wrapped a blanket around her, picking her up. She could hear Him gagging at her smell, and knew He'd only blanketed her so He wouldn't have to touch her.

In spite of that, she could feel the silk of His shirt against her face as she was carried out of the house. The feel of it made her want to vomit again.

She felt snow against her face, cool and welcoming. The flakes melted against her skin on contact, evaporating a few seconds later.

She couldn't keep track of where they were, or how far He was taking her. Was He bringing her to a hospital? She wanted to stop retching, choking on her own saliva. They could help her.

She heard a door open, and the arms beneath her tilted her out of their grip. She fell, her body thudding against a snow-covered floor.

"You were a horrible little girl, Cindy," His voice sounded very far away, "And an even worse dog. Worthless through and through. I hope you think about that."

She heard the door close, and a key turning in a lock. Lifting her head, she looked around. The room was spinning badly, but Martha was there. Martha could help her. Martha was smiling too, all around her, Martha was smiling. Maybe Martha would take her to the hospital.

But Martha wasn't moving. She was smiling and reaching out. Over there she was blowing a kiss, and there she was shopping. But she wasn't helping. Why wasn't she helping?

She shivered, reaching for the thin blanket. It was so cold. The wind was whipping through the room she was in. Where was she? Was He coming back? She couldn't feel her fingers anymore. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe she would stop feeling soon, and she could see her parents again.

…..

The Grinch hadn't wasted any time, setting out that evening from Mount Crumpet. He'd had to take the long way down, thanks to those do-gooder Whos blocking off his trash slide, and it had taken him well into the dark, early hours of the morning.

He'd dipped his favorite brown burlap robe in a multitude of colors. He'd nearly gagged at the tie dye result, but if it would help him blend in with their…. Cheery… colorful town, he could do it. He'd pulled the cowl over his head completely, cutting two eye slits to see through.

The town glowed softly from the light of a million Christmas bulbs, wound around nearly every inch of the houses. Not a Who walked the streets this early in the morning, they were all still asleep in their snug warm beds.

That's where he hoped Augustus was. Then, maybe he could slip CindyLou away from him. His cavern could be turned into a veritable fortress, and he'd use every trick in the book to keep them all away if he could just get her inside.

He slipped past Cindy-Lou's old house, glancing briefly at the For Sale sign out front. Something about the house bothered him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. It didn't matter though, he needed to get to Cindy. He could think about the house later.

It only took him a few minutes to get to the former Mayor's house. He scratched the glass, testing it. He could feel his claw dulling as it slid over the surface, and he nodded. He expected no less after his Christmas escapade into the Mayor's house. Turning to the front door, he slid his claw into the lock. It opened easily enough, but the door resisted his entry.

_More locks, inside locks probably._

Turning, he circled around behind the building into the back yard. To his surprise, the back door hung wide open, a trail of footprints leading out into the snow. Could his luck be so good? Could Augustus have left?

Slipping inside, he began checking the rooms, one after another. Nothing in the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room. Carefully twisting the knob to the bedroom, he peered in.

Nobody was there, the room was completely dark except for a flickering monitor. On the monitor, images were playing. Images of Cindy-Lou.

Cindy-Lou, being kicked around the house.

Cindy-Lou, being forced to eat dog food and drink foul water.

Cindy-Lou, locked away in a tiny, dark room, filmed in night vision as she cried silently.

The Grinch stood there, staring at the screen, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. This had to be some kind of elaborate prank.

No. This was a sick, twisted mind.

She must be in the dark room now. He had to get her out before Augustus came back. Where would he hide her?

_Good Parenting._

Cindy-Lou had said Good Parenting. Maybe it was a clue. What did it mean?

Of course! It was that newfangled popular guide to good Who parenting. It was a book! Was there a clue in the book? He darted out into the hall where he had seen a bookcase. Running his hands over the spines, he grabbed the book and yanked on it.

He jerked back as the whole bookcase swung forward. He lit up, throwing it wide. "Cindy I've found you…"

Nobody was there. Only a few dozen copies of the Book of Who, some mangled, and various puddles of suspect liquid on the floor. He stumbled back, struck by the stench. He was never one to turn down a whiff of garbage, but this was different. This reminded him of the time Max drank from WhoDumpit Pond and was sick for weeks. He'd almost died from all the pollutants in the water, the Grinch had been lucky to find out that a steady diet of onions burned all that out of his system.

_He threw up and pooped like a water faucet._

His fleeting thought that Augustus had taken her to a hospital was crushed by the images he'd seen on the screen flashing through his mind.

He turned from the room, coming face to face with Augustus May Who. The man had bloodstains on his shirt, and he was grinning in a way that sent a chill down the Grinch's spine.

"I knew you'd come for her." He chuckled. "She hoped you would, you know, it was all she could talk about when she couldn't think straight anymore. She didn't even know she was saying it."

The Grinch glanced down, his eyes drawn by a flash in Augustus' hand. It was a knife, a simple blade found in any kitchen set.

It was dripping red.

He thought his heart would stop. "Where is she?"

"Which she?" He chuckled, as if at his own little joke.

"Cindy Lou!"

Augustus gestured grandly toward the back door with the bloody knife. "Out there, somewhere, in the cold. You might want to try and find her quickly. I don't think she'll last much longer." His grin widened. "Or did you want to beat me up first?"

The Grinch unclenched his fists. He didn't have time to deal with Augustus now. He had to find Cindy. He shoved past the Who, growling as the man grabbed his arm. He jerked it away, leaving a handful of green hairs in his grip as he sprinted out the door into the snow.

The footprints were growing fainter by the minute as snowflakes drifted down to fill the impressions Augustus had left behind, The Grinch dropped to the ground, crawling along the faint traces, examining each mark. He couldn't afford to make a mistake in the direction they were going.

After what felt like hours, he caught sight of a small, rickety wooden shed close to the base of Mount Crumpet. He shot to his feet, sprinting for it with all his might. He didn't even stop for the door, ramming shoulder-first into it. The lock buckled and the wood around it splintered as the door twisted. He grabbed it by its edges and yanked it free, tossing it aside.

There she was, lying on the floor. She was covered in only a thin blanket.

She was too still.

He dropped to his knees beside her, touching her face. In spite of the winter cold, the touch of her skin seared his hands. The same stench from the tiny room encompassed her, and he could see traces of dried vomit and feces on her clothing.

He put one hand over her chest, and another over her mouth. He could feel the faintest heartbeat, and the hairs on his other hand stirred ever so slightly.

She was freezing to death and burning up at the same time, but cold was the more immediate threat. He had to get her blood circulating again. Laying down on the floor, he pulled her close to his chest and curled up around her. Draping his robe over them both, he began breathing hard in the enclosed space.

The smell assaulted his senses, but he focused on breathing in and out. The faster he could warm the air around her, the faster her body would begin to respond.

For the first time in his life, he was grateful to be covered in long, warm fur, as he willed warmth into the tiny form.

Then it struck him. He hadn't seen any blood on Cindy-Lou. There hadn't been any gashes on her, and she hadn't bled to death. Why did Augustus have blood on his—

_"Which she?"_

Horror ripped through him as, for the first time, he looked the walls around him. The walls of the shed had been lined with photographs of Martha, some with strange drawings on them, others with horrible words. But drawn all over the walls, everywhere, were incriminating words.

"Martha May and me forever."

"Martha May is my property."

"Martha May is mine, or _nobody's_."

He threw his head back, a howl of rage and anguish ripping through the winter night.

"MARTHAAAAAA!"

…

**Note: **I have no idea if a steady diet of onions would cure pollution sickness, I totally made that up. I'm sure that's not important to you right now.


	9. Guardians

**Note**: Thank you Invader Johnny for your input on my idea. And yes, ilovezim123, I forgot onions are poison to dogs. Ah well, forgive my oversight, and anyone who reads this, don't even feed your dog onions… I don't know what I'm talking about.

…..

The Grinch clenched his eyes shut, trying to get himself back under control. There was nothing he could do for Matha now. He had to stay for Cindy, try and get her warm enough to move her to the hospital.

As the minutes ticked by, though, he could feel her slipping away. Her body had warmed slightly, but whatever toxins Augustus had given her were free to ravage her from the inside out. He clenched her to his chest tightly, terrified of the moment he would feel the last little heartbeat flutter into stillness.

"Please," He moaned into the biting wind, "Please, she has to live."

_You must come into your burden._

The Grinch started, lifting his head, eyes shooting around wildly. They were no longer alone.

In a semi-circle facing the Grinch stood four figures. One, a small orange creature about the size of Max. It had a floor-length yellow mustache, and stared at him with eyes that reflected a forest of trees like the Grinch had never seen before. The second was a cat, standing on its hind legs, wearing a red and white striped hat. The third was a small Who-like creature, bearing a platter of green food. The fourth, the Grinch would recognize from miles off. He stood a head shorter than the Grinch himself, and was dressed from head to toe in red, with white trim.

"Santa! Please you have to—who are they?"

Four voices spoke in unison.

_We are four of the guardians of the universes._

The orange one spoke. _Nature._

The cat. _Playfulness._

The food-bearer. _Curiosity._

Santa finished. _Christmas. And you are the Guardian of Order and Justice._

The Grinch blinked. "I'm what?"

The four voices twined, rising and falling together.

_The Grinch is given to order and justice in every life he lives. Once he dies, he vanishes, and another appears as a child, to be delivered where he is needed. No memory is passed on between them, but at a certain age, the Grinch becomes aware of his responsibility, and carries out his tasks._

"What tasks?" His voice shook. "I don't understand."

The orange creature stepped forward. _It falls to you to bring to the societies in most need of it, Order and Justice. We gravitate toward the situations that need us most. Whoville cried out for you in a dark, dark time, and you came. You stayed among them for many generations of yourself, as their judge. Slowly, you brought to them the perfection of their lives, the peace and happiness they craved._

_ But you began to see the corruption spread to that most joyous of occasions, Christmas. You loved the holiday more than anyone, loved the unity and peace it brought the Whos. But it became a day of carousing, of purchasing and selling, of cheating and thieving. You began to hate them, and all they stood for, and all that you believed Christmas had come to stand for._

Santa stepped forward. _I can only deliver Christmas. I cannot change what those who receive it do with it. Your bitterness ate away ate you, and you died old and alone. You did not return to the Whos for three generations, and when you did return, though you remembered nothing, you despised everything to do with Christmas._ Santa paused, then sighed. _It grieved me to watch this happen to you, my friend._

The Grinch reeled. _Friends_ with _Santa?_

The cat stepped forward, looking sad, his hat drooping. _Your hatred was fed by the cruelty that had crept into the hearts of the Whos who had forgotten you. You abandoned them again, until one came to bring you back._ The cat smiled down at Cindy. _It would be the heart of a child that would lead you back to your purpose, and remind you what Christmas really meant._

"What purpose?" He could feel his breathing quicken into short, panicky bursts.

_You must bring order to Whoville again._ This time, the food-bearer stepped forward. _They are on the brink of chaos._

"They are? They seem fine, except for Augustus," he began.

_Augustus is only the beginning. With the possibility that one Who can turn on another without any consequences, they will begin to do so. Households will be plundered by greedy neighbors. Lives will be taken in passion and jealousy. Wounds will be dealt in vengeance and hate. You must take the burden of Justice, and bring Order to Whoville again._

"I don't care about them!" He growled. "They can all rot for all I care, I just want Cindy Lou to get better!"

The four spoke again. _As a guardian, you are granted powers. They are not unlimited, but they are meant to aid you in your task. They may help the Who child._

"I accept!" The Grinch said without hesitation. "Whatever it is, make it start working, I'll be the guardian or whatever that I used to be, that you say, although you all sound crazy."

The four knelt around him, each one placing a hand on him. As they touched him, he could feel something inside changing. It was as if his whole life he had watched the world through a veil—through a mask—and suddenly it had vanished. He felt power stirring inside. Without thinking, he turned it toward the child in his arms, willing her veins clear of the poison, and her body free from fever.

And he felt it, the temperature of her body dropping as the blood in her veins stirred again. The poison collected in her stomach as she gave one last violent retch, expelling it completely.

He wiped her face carefully. He pushed aside the fear he felt at what he'd done, he had to get her to the hospital. But first…

He looked up at Santa, staring at him long and hard.

_My friend,_ Santa rumbled, _I have always given you whatever I could. Ask what is on your mind._

"Martha," he choked. "Can you save…?"

_She can be saved._ Santa's eyes were mournful. _She will not be whole, though._

"Please save her, I'll help her, I'll help them both, I promise I'll do all my duties or whatever you say I have to do if I can take care of them!"

_As you wish._

With those words, the guardians vanished, one after the other, leaving only Santa to whisper two verses that chilled the Grinch to the bone.

_Woe unto the Who that craves_

_A life of blood and death_

_For he must go unto the Grinch_

_Who steals his final breath_

_Fortunate if you are one Who_

_Chosen by the Grinch_

_For safe is safer nowhere else_

_He will not give an inch_

With that, Santa vanished as well.

The Grinch gathered Cindy close and sat up. Her heartbeat had steadied, and she slept in his arms. He could get her to the hospital in five minutes, he had to be absolutely sure she was healthy.

Footsteps pounded outside, and flashlights bobbed back and forth across the snow. Officer Yoo was the first through the door. He glanced up and around the walls, then down at the Grinch.

For the first time it struch the Grinch, that Augustus had planned even this. With photos of Martha all around, and Cindy Lou in his arms, it would be easy to pin all the murders on him, removing him from the picture entirely.

Officer Yoo took a deep breath. "I warned you. Mr. Grinch, you're under arrest. Hand over Cindy Lou."

"Where will you take her?" He demanded.

"To the hospital, where she'll be held for at least 24 hours to make sure she's healthy." Officer Yoo held out his arms. Silently, the Grinch handed her over. "Cuff him."

Another officer, shaking a little, stepped forward with handcuffs. Obediently, the Grinch turned around, hands behind his back. The gears in his mind were already turning. He had 24 hours, and if he played his cards right, he could solve this situation.

He was, after all, The Grinch.

* * *

**Note: **Yeah... I... I didn't plan this in the beginning, I swear, it just kind of happened...


	10. No Windows

**Note:** According to fanfiction history, I am coming up on seven years on Fanfiction. Wow. Seven years. That's a long time.

…..  
"So, how long before he called you?" The Grinch walked ahead of Officer Yoo, who guided him from behind toward the doors of the Police Station.

"He said you broke into his house and stole Cindy-Lou away. He also said you were laughing about how you'd killed Martha." Officer Yoo's voice was tight. "We found her in her bed, real torn up. She had a clump of green hair in her hand."

The Grinch growled, remembering the clump Augustus had ripped from his arm as he shoved past. Had he really taken the trouble to go back to Martha's house a second time to plant his hair there? Was he that set on making sure the murder pointed to no one but the Grinch?

"Things don't add up Officer." The Grinch waited as Officer Yoo unlocked a cell. "You know it."

Officer Yoo gave him a push into the cell, unlocking the cuffs. "It doesn't matter what I know. What matters is the evidence."

The Grinch gave a slow, wide grin as the door swung shut on him. "The evidence, you say? What if I found evidence for you?"

"And how are you going to do that from here?" Officer Yoo slammed a fist into the door angrily. "You idiot, I told you not to get yourself caught, there's nothing I can do now, and you sure as mistletoe can't go out and investigate yourself now! And you can't protect her! Once the hospital clears Cindy-Lou, she's going straight back to him, and there's nothing you or I can do about it!"

The Grinch stared at Officer Yoo for a moment. "You believe me."

"I don't have to believe you, I can see it for myself. I'm not blind."

"If you're not blind," The Grinch snarled, "Then look at the photos. The photos from the shack. Tell me what you see when you look at those photos. And one other thing." His eyes narrowed. "I want a copy of the Book of Who."

Officer Yoo snorted. "You? You want a copy of the Book of Who? Since when have you ever been interested in Who law and history?"

The Grinch stared hard at him. "Since I found out I'm not the only Grinch there's ever been."

Yoo paused, then shook his head. "I'll be back with a copy in fifteen minutes. Get to know your cellmates while you're locked up."

The Grinch blinked. "My cell-mates?" He turned to the bars separating him from the next cell. In the farthest corner, two forms huddled. One short and compact, the other tall and lanky. "Dru? Stu?"

Dru lifted his head first, blinking his eyes blearily. As they focused on the Grinch, he sprang forward with a yell, reaching his arms through the bars.

"You monster!" Dru shouted, his fingers clawing toward the Grinch. "You hurt her! Just 'cause Augustus is a jerk doesn't mean you can hurt my sister like that!"

The Grinch stared at the struggling Who, fighting off the urge to break his arms against the bars. "If you really think I would lift a finger against Cindy-Lou," He snarled, "Then you don't know me at all. You, on the other hand..." He trailed off.

Dru immediately pulled his arms back to himself, glaring hatefully. "I don't believe you. Once a monster, always a monster."

"Come off it Dru." Stu's voice sighed from the corner. "You're being an idiot again. It wasn't the Grinch's life that got ruined, why would he hurt her? Besides, the Grinch wouldn't have thought of such a stupid argument about the Who Hash, he's been to our house."

Dru subsided a little, looking down. He kicked the bars angrily.

The Grinch perked up. "The house? What is it about the house boys?"

Dru looked up. "We had one of those huge 'oh-yeah-that's-what-we-should'a-said' moments. Augustus said he saw us using Who Hash through our windows as he was passing by."

"Yeah, so?"

Dru glared. "Our rooms don't have windows genius, you've been to our house a bunch of times and you never figured that out?"

The Grinch sat down hard on the floor. How did he not see it before? He'd always had the feeling something didn't fit with Augustus' story, but something that blatantly obvious? "Why didn't YOU say anything?"

It was Stu's turn to be incredulous. "We'd just been accused of using Who Hash, we kind of blanked out! It's not like something like that happens every day!"

The Grinch's eyes narrowed. "So he said he found it in your rooms after passing by the windows. If he didn't see you using it, then he would have had no reason and no right to break in. If he had broken in that night..."

There was silence from the neighboring cell for a full five minutes.

Dru broke it first, his voice shaking. "Grinch... did Augustus kill Mom and Dad?"

The Grinch dipped his head, feeling a familiar rage begin stirring in the pit of his stomach. "Yes. And he's been doing terrible things to Cindy-Lou. But I can't get the video. He's too smart to leave the room he locked her in that dirty, he'll clean it up and claim she was never there..."

"What are you talking about?" Stu demanded.

"He locked her in a tiny hidden closet. He'd have cleaned that up in case they come looking at it, but he video taped everything."

"Well," Dru said slowly, "If we didn't do Who-hash, and there's proof no one saw us using it, they'll let us go, right?"

"They should," The Grinch mused.

"Then we'll get it." Dru squared his jaw. "We'll get the videos and bring them back."

The Grinch grinned. "You boys are alright." The grin vanished. "But don't touch Augustus. Don't even let him know you're there. Augustus May Who is mine."

The boys both shivered, nodding rapidly.

Footsteps sounded in the hall, announcing the return of Officer Yoo. "Here's a copy of the Book of Who. What good it'll do you now, I haven't a clue."

The Grinch accepted it with a dark smile. "Thank you Officer. I think these boys have something to tell you."

….

"So they're free," Officer Yoo leaned against the door of the Grinch's cell, watching him pore over page after page of text. "What do you think that'll do?"

The Grinch didn't look up. "I want a trial tomorrow."

"A trial?" Officer Yoo choked. "You're all but convicted! They'll level your mountain if Augustus has any say in it, and send you out in the wasteland."

"I want a trial," He repeated, stubbornly. "At the same time, I contest custody of Cindy-Lou who, and I accuse Augustus May Who of a most horrendous set of crimes."

Officer Yoo shook his head. "You're insane. You've spent too much time eating rotten onions, it's gone to your head."

"And don't forget to look at the photos." The Grinch mumbled, engrossed in his reading.

"Right. The photos. Great." Yoo threw up his hands, stalking off. "We're going to stop a murderer with a few photos of Martha May Who."

"Not stop," The Grinch sighed, "Just plant the beginning of doubt."


	11. Tried and Convicted

**Note: **_My mind:_ Screw sleep. _Me:_ Screw you, mind. Why do you do this to me? You're the reason I'm a zombie at work every day. _My mind: _Trolololo.

…

The Grinch sat lazily at the bench, his hands behind his head and his feet propped up on the desk. He'd been cuffed and chained hand to foot to hand again, but he wasn't worried. He wondered briefly what his life would have been like if he had ever studied the Book of Who front to back as a child and caught the parts that mentioned him, and what his role in Whoville was. His gut clenched as he realized he probably would have been able to prevent this whole mess in the first place.

_Stuff it all. Can't change the past, just the present._

An image of Martha flashed through his mind. Would he have been able to prevent her death?

_Knock it off. Jolly Ho-Ho said he'd do something. Just believe that for once, he's giving you something for Christmas._

"All rise for the honorable judge Jerry-Gnu-Who."

The Grinch waited a good ten seconds after everyone else had stood to drag his feet of the table insolently and rise.

The normally timid judge glared down on him. "B-be seated everyone. We're h-here today to d-discuss the fate of the G-Grinch."

The Grinch raised one hand, the chain jerking his other hand up alongside.

"Th-this isn't a c-c-lassroom, Mister G-Grinch."

"No it isn't, but I'm the one that called this trial. And it is to bring accusation against Augustus May-Who."

"Well well well, still throwing around accusations?" Augustus stepped out from the observers and stood at the prosecuting bench. "Your honor, I'd appreciate it if you allowed me to defend myself in this case."

"As y-you wish. Begin."

Augustus turned to the Grinch and gestured for him to begin, a smug grin on his face.

The Grinch returned his smile with an unpleasant one of his own. He felt something pushing at the back of his mind, but he pushed it back, turning to the judge. "I would like to call up Officer Yoo as my first witness."

The court murmured as Officer Yoo took the stand, looking dubiously at the Grinch. After he was sworn in, the Grinch shuffled up to the stand, clanking his chains as loudly as he could. "Officer Yoo-Who. Where were you last evening?"

"Arresting you." Yoo raised an eyebrow.

"And where did you find me?"

"In a shack at the edge of town."

"And what covered the walls of the shack?"

"Photos of Martha May-Who."

"The woman you murdered," Augustus broke in, his voice trembling with emotion. "The love of my life, you stalked her, and then you killed her."

The Grinch held up a hand to Augustus, and continued speaking to Yoo. "And did you notice anything about these photos, on close examination?"

Yoo glared at him. Dropping his voice, he whispered, "What are you trying to prove? This won't do anything."

The Grinch just stared at him. Yoo sighed. "The photos had all been cut, like something was cut out from each one."

"Obviously he only wanted Martha in the photos. You disgusting creature." Augustus sneered.

"There was something else about the photos though, wasn't there?" The Grinch grinned. "Every now and then, there was something different."

"Yes." Yoo pulled out six photos, passing them to the judge. "As you can see, it's very faint, but around the area that's been cut out, you can clearly see an outline of green hair. And in this one, a whole hand. Only one being in this whole town has a hand like that."

"That's interesting," Mused the Grinch. "How in the world could I take a photo that far away and still be in the photo? In fact, why would I cut me out?" He turned to the court, grinning. "I mean, someone as good looking as myself? Cut me out?"

A few nervous chuckles rippled through the onlookers. Augustus' eyes narrowed.

"But your honor, I am not here to accuse anyone of taking pictures, there's no crime in that." His grin faded, and his eyes locked onto Augustus. "I'm here to accuse Augustus May Who of the heinous crimes of harming Cindy-Lou Who and murdering Martha-May Who."

Augustus leaned forward, curling his upper lip. "You would stoop so low as to accuse me of murdering the woman I loved?"

"And prove it." The Grinch began cracking his knuckles back and forth, one at a time. "Did you know there are no windows in Stu and Dru's rooms?"

"What are you talking about now?"

"You mentioned you walked by their rooms and saw them using Who Hash through their windows. They have no windows in their rooms."

Augustus paled.

"In fact, just last night, they were released and cleared of all suspicion. Which raises the question, how did you know they were using it? If they were using it at all. And if they weren't, how could you find it in their house?" His face darkened. "_What were you doing in their house?_"

"I was never in their house!" Augustus snarled. "Why would I ever go in there?"

The Grinch crossed his arms, to the best of his ability. "I can't prove that you were there, or what you and I both know you did. But I can prove what you did to Cindy-Lou."

"All I did was care for her and love her! It'll take her weeks to recover from what you did!"

The Grinch could smell his fear. Whatever was in the back of his mind began getting louder, more insistent.

"I call my next two witnesses. Dru and—"

"We got it!" Stu's voice rang out, as he and Dru shoved their way from the back to the front. "We have it! It's sick! He's a monster, we saw it!"

"—Stu Lou Who."

Stu and Dru each shoved a stack of tapes onto the Judge's desk.

Dru's cheeks were wek, and Stu looked fit to kill someone himself. "Your Honor," Dru gulped, "Please sir, you have to play one of these tapes right now."

"Your honor I object!" Augustus' face had drained of all color. "Those tapes are my property, these Wholigans have obviously broken into my home and stolen them, I demand that they be returned!"

Stu grabbed one and shoved it at the judge. "You have to see it!" His eyes were wide and desperate. "He did things to her! Bad things, oh gods the things he did…"

Jerry Gnu Who stared down at the tape in his hands, and the ones on his desk. He glanced at Augustus, who looked like he was ready to fall over, and the Grinch, whose eyes were turning a darker shade of yellow every second he stared at Augustus.

Finally, he ordered, "Restrain the prosecution AND the defendant. We will see one of these tapes at random."

…

The Grinch stared at the blank screen of the player. It had been a full minute since the tape had ended, and not a Who had spoken. Nothing like it had ever been conceived of to their knowledge. The whisperings at the back of his mind had grown to a roar, but still he held it at bay, though the restraining arms had long since dropped away from his shoulders.

_Not yet._

Jerry Gnu Who finally turned to the Grinch, looking ill. "Well. Mister Grinch. You've made your point about Cindy-Lou. Have you anything to say about Martha?"

_Ho-Ho's, you'd better pull through._ "Yes your Honorfulness. I'd like to call, as my final witness, Martha May Who."

The crowd began buzzing in confusion. Everyone knew Martha had been killed with a clump of green hair in her hand. Why was he calling for her now?

Slowly, the doors of the courthouse swung open. The Grinch turned, and the roaring in his mind stopped for a moment, as his heart swelled.

There she stood, still in her bloody bathrobe, one hand clutching it closed. The other hand covered her face, as her shoulders shook.

"Impossible!" Augustus croaked.

"Martha," The Grinch shuffled toward her as quickly as he could, taking her hand away from her face. "Please tell them…" He fell silent.

Her entire body shuddered with shame, and tears fell from her eyes, pooling in the crevasses and twisted lines running through her face. Scars, tracking up and down, across and diagonally over every inch of her face.

_She can be saved. She will not be whole though._

_ We found her in bed, real torn up._

"Martha." His voice was low, and shaking with anger. "Tell them what happened. Tell them who did this to you."

Martha clutched his hand tightly, her voice quavering. "I was… going to sleep. He came in… with a knife… said I'd made the wrong choice… he kept cutting me. Said he wanted… me to know… how he felt…. Then…. I…. he…" Carefully, she loosened her robe, pulling aside the ruffles to show the scar over her chest. "Stabbed me."

"I couldn't have!" Augustus' eyes rolled wildly. "If I stabbed her, how is she still here? She's lying!"

"Then I saw Santa," She murmured, looking up at the Grinch. "He told me your Christmas wishes… that Cindy-Lou and I would be alright. He brought me back."

Augustus began thrashing against the arms that restrained him still.

"Augustus May Who," Jerry said sternly, "It has been shown clearly that you h-have been proven g-guilty, s-so I s-sentence you—"

"No, your Honor." The Grinch stared at Augustus. "By your own laws, this Who belongs to me."

"Wh-what is the meaning of this, Mister Grinch?"

The Grinch glanced up at him, all disdain and jocularity gone. "By rights, Your Honor, you should not be sitting there. You should be Mayor, not Judge. I am your judge."

"Wh-what?"

"Allow me," He walked up to the bench, pulling out a large red book. "To quote a verse from the Book of Who." He flipped to the page, turning it for the judge to read.

"_Your judge in heart with all his soul_

_The Grinch will be your guide_

_A somber, solemn guardian_

_With justice at his side_

_He comes to bring you order_

_And set before you law_

_To keep your feet from straying_

_Toward every fatal flaw_

_And Woe unto the Who that craves_

_A life of blood and death_

_For he must go unto the Grinch_

_Who steals his final breath_

_But fortunate if you are one Who_

_Chosen by the Grinch_

_For safe is safer nowhere else_

_He will not give an inch."_

"You see, your honor," The Grinch leaned against the Judge's podium. "I am Whoville's judge. I may have passed out of memory, but there is a reason I'm not like you all." He leaned forward, staring into Jerry's eyes. "It's because I'm not one of you. I came when I was most needed, and stayed." _I hope all this bunk Jolly Rogers told me is true. If they don't hand him over, I'm not going to be able to hold back much longer._ "There's a reason you call an unChristmasy season 'Grinchy'. Nobody wants to talk about the executioner on such a happy day."

A moth beat its wings desperately against a lightbulb in the silence.

Jerry swallowed hard. "Are… are you seriously… telling me…" His words died away.

"Your honor." Officer Yoo stood. "Every other thing the Grinch has said checks out. Augustus is guilty of the worst crimes Whoville has seen in the last hundred years. The decision is yours, but the Book of Who is clear."

Augustus tore free of the holds on him and stumbled out the door, bolting into the streets.

Calmly, the Grinch held up his wrists, still chained, to the judge.

For a moment, he hesitated. Then silently, he gestured to Officer Yoo. Yoo walked over, pulling out a key, and fit it in the lock. Glancing up at the Grinch, he shook his head in disbelief. "You pulled it off. Now you finish it."

"I will." The Grinch promised darkly, shedding the chains. Turning, he walked out of the courthouse, feeling the clamor in his mind rise to a fevered pitch. He picked up his pace, briskly turning to follow the footprints. He didn't want Martha to see him like this, maybe he could get Augustus out of town.

Then he saw the footprints take a turn toward the hospital.

His vision went black.


	12. Red Snow

**Note**: It has always been a style choice of mine to NOT do songfics. I just don't enjoy the style of a songfic very much. I was, however, extremely tempted this time around. Suffice it to say, if you want to know the soundtrack to this chapter, look up any rock version of _Carol of the Bells_ (I suggest the _Festival Rock Orchestra_ version), _Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans Siberian Orchestra_, and especially _Drumming Song by Florence + The Machine _(The MTV version conveys the emotion of the chapter better than the album version… for once).

…

Augustus stumbled into the hospital, eyes darting around. She was here, she had to be here. It was all her fault, and he would make her fix it. No, she should die. Yes, but not until he was safe.

He shook his head. The plan used to be so clear. How did it get so jumbled in an hour?

"Sir?" A nurse walked up to him. "Can I help you find someone?"

"Y-yes." He shivered. "I'm the legal guardian of Cindy-Lou Who, I want to see how she's doing."

"Of course sir, right this way."

He'd beat the Whoville grapevine out of the courthouse. Now all he had to do was beat the Grinch to a safe place.

But where could he go? He couldn't go anywhere. He'd seen the look in the Grinch's eyes.

Maybe he could force the Grinch to leave, or maybe he could kill the Grinch too.

He blinked, realizing he'd been standing at the door to Cindy's room, staring blankly in. He didn't have time for this! Plunging in, he ripped back the curtain.

Large, frightened eyes darted up to him as Cindy clutched her sheets. Tubes ran in and out of her arms. Her filthy clothes had been removed, leaving her in a hospital gown. Her skin and what was left of her hair had been scrubbed clean as well.

_All my hard work undone._ His eyes narrowed.

Behind him, he heard a scream of terror, and his heart sank. The Grinch was coming for him.

_I'll make them remember me. Nobody will ever forget me as long as they live. And I will see him CRAWL before I die._

….

The Grinch could barely make out what was happening around him. It was as if he was in control of his actions, and simultaneously unable to stop what was happening. No Who stood in his way as he crashed through the hospital. All looked down on him in horror before screaming, flailing to get away. Somewhere in his mind, he wondered why everyWho now looked down to see him.

He didn't care. There was only one Who he wanted today.

He could smell His fear, and tracked it to a room. He stopped at the door, taking in the scene with every sense.

The smell of sterile, clean hospital room.

The taste of cold sweat in the air.

The sound of whimpering, and heavy breathing.

The feel of the cold, tile floor under his palms.

The sight of former Mayor Augustus May Who clutching Cindy-Lou by the ear, holding her up on her weak legs, with a blood-spattered knife to her throat.

"Look at you," Whispered Augustus, half in awe, half in terror. "And they think I'm a monster. They would accept you, but they cast me out. It just isn't right."

The Grinch crouched deeply for a spring, but Augustus pulled the knife tighter against Cindy's throat. Even in his maddened state, the Grinch knew Augustus wouldn't hesitate to slit her throat. He'd already killed two, and attempted another. He forced himself out of the spring, and opened his mouth to speak.

A deep, low growl of hatred is all that emerged. Shocked, the Grinch tried again, and this time, it was a full-throated roar. Cindy began crying. His eyes widened.

_What in the sleighbells is happening?_

Augustus threw back his head, laughing hysterically. "You don't even know, do you? You haven't seen yourself."

The Grinch turned his head, glancing around the room for a reflective surface. He settled on a small sink-mirror across from the bathroom.

It was too high for him.

With a snarl, he slammed his fist into the wall. The mirror dropped from its hook, falling to the ground with a terrific shatter. The Grinch hovered over it, inspecting himself.

His fur bristled in all directions, longer and thicker than it had ever been. His teeth no longer looked like any teeth he'd ever seen. They jutted from his gums, long and sharp, like someone planted needles in his mouth. His eyes, a bright yellowish glow for as long as he could remember, now flashed a disturbing shade of red.

He lifted his hand to shove away the shards of his reflection, and for the first time, he realized he'd been on all fours since he determined the direction of Augustus' footprints. He glanced at his hand. His claws, which had always been long and sharp, now curved into wickedly sharp talons, and his arms hand lengthened. Looking down further, he saw his feet, less like feet and more like another set of hands with thick, taloned fingers.

"You really thought you could be one of us, didn't you?" Augustus crooned, a sick grin on his face. "You thought we would accept you with open arms. You tried to hide it, but you hoped it, way down deep inside."

A sweep of his arm sent the mirror shards flying aside as the Grinch growled up at Augustus, calculating how fast he could move, and what distractions he could use.

"It was so much fun, wasn't it Cindy?" He murmured, rocking her from side to side gently. "Every time I saw your little smug face laughing at me, all I had to do was hit it hard enough, and it stopped laughing."

The Grinch fought to control himself, but he could feel the rage burning through his body. He had never wielded this responsibility before, and the backlog of injustice was raging in his veins, screaming for blood.

"And if it laughed again, I just had to humiliate it, make it crawl." The Mayor swayed, speaking in an almost sing-song voice. "I'm stronger, I'm bigger, it's so easy."

One moment the Grinch was at the door, trying to hold himself back, and the next, he was behind Augustus. Grabbing the hand holding the knife, he wrenched it back as hard as he could. He heard a satisfying crack as the Who screamed, releasing Cindy.

Cindy fell to the ground in a heap, weakly scrambling to get away.

The Grinch lifted Augustus into the air and hurled him from the room. He let out one more roar as he readied to leap out and finish the job.

_Is she okay?!_

The Grinch forced himself to stop, and turn to check on Cindy.

She lay on the floor at the foot of the medical bed, her neck bleeding, her eyes fixed on him in terror.

_She's afraid of me._

_ Why wouldn't she be? You're a monster._

The Grinch's rage dulled for a moment, as he approached Cindy. Reaching out a hand, he placed it over the wound in her neck.

_Santa, however you did this, help me know how to do it too._

He could almost feel a hand at the back of his head, prodding an instinct to the surface of his mind. Following the instinct, the Grinch reached for his memories of Cindy. Cindy laughing, running to greet him, climbing the mountain to find him. Cindy whole and happy, healthy and joyful, and with no gaping slit in her neck.

Hardly daring to hope, he pulled his hand away from her neck, revealing a thick, fresh pink scar, knitting the wound closed.

And Cindy, staring at him fearfully.

He could almost hear his heart crack.

Turning from Cindy, he bounded out of the room, allowing his rage and despair to combine in a howl that shook the walls of the hospital. Augustus had fled, but his stench was clear, even as the Grinch sprinted out into the snow.

Snow had begun to fall. They were large flakes, and a steady flow of them, increasing in speed. All Whos were bundled up inside against the cold. All doors were closed, all windows shuttered.

There would be no witnesses.

The Grinch turned, trailing the stench of fear toward the edge of town. Augustus must have known that staying in the town wouldn't help, and was taking his chances in the wastes. He could see the Who, struggling against knee deep snow.

_Make him feel her fear._

Springing forward, the Grinch halved the distance between himself and Augustus in silence. The flakes began pouring down in a blizzard of white as he came up from behind.

Augustus' right arm hung uselessly as he flailed against the snow. His teeth chattered loud enough to be heard on the other side of town, and his skin had turned an unhealthy shade of blue.

Once again, the Grinch was behind him one moment, and the next, in front of him, staring at him with blood red eyes.

Augustus screamed, turning to flail in the opposite direction.

There was the Grinch.

Augustus turned once more in a third direction, desperation on his face. There again, the Grinch crouched in front of him, needle-like teeth bared.

Augustus stood there, staring at him. Then, his body began to shake, from his gut to his shoulders, and he threw back his head, laughing and laughing.

_He's insane. This has to stop._

The Grinch sprang forward, crashing into Augustus and pinning him to the ground. His hind talons dug into the Who's thighs as his hands gripped the shoulders, piercing them through completely. Augustus' mouth opened in a silent shriek as he convulsed in pain.

The Grinch lowered his face toward Augustus, keeping his teeth bared. Concentrating as hard as he could, he forced his tongue and lips to form words around the razor sharp teeth.

"Why?" He breathed into Augustus' face. "Why didn't you attack me? Why did you destroy her instead of coming after me?"

Another hysterical laugh burst from the Who, his head lolling. "But I did. And I almost had you crawling too. All I had to do was kill her… and you would have been nothing."

The Grinch stared at him for a moment. Then his hand moved, faster than he could think, tearing through Augustus' neck.

Red. Everywhere. Red. So much red.

The Grinch stumbled back, the rage draining from him, leaving him with a sick sense of horror. He had just murdered a Who.

_Is what he said true? He did all this to make me crawl? Does that mean, if I had just stayed up on Mt. Crumpet… none of this would have happened?_

The Grinch turned his head aside, retching into the snow. He couldn't stand it.

_It's my fault. My fault Cindy's parents are gone, that all this happened to her, and to Martha._

_Augustus was right about one thing. I'm not fit to take care of her._

"M…mm…"

His ear twitched. His head swung around as he strained for the sound he'd heard over the blizzard.

"M… Mis…. Misster…"

He knew that voice.

"Gr…riiinch…."

Snow flew from under his palms as he fled the scene of Augustus' death. Cindy couldn't be out here, not in all this!

He could see her, a frail form with blue-tinged skin, hospital gown flapping in the gale. Her arms outstretched blindly into the blizzard, hoping, reaching for something. Someone.

"Please… M…mmm…mister…" She collapsed in the snow as he reached her, skidding to a halt. Once again, he pulled her tiny form to his chest, burying her frozen body in his warm fur. He could feel his talons receding as he cradled her, and his mouth returning to normal.

The blizzard around him began to lessen, the flakes shrinking as the flurry spent itself against the walls of Whoville houses. The clouds overhead split, torn by a ray of sunlight determined to touch the frozen ground.

The Grinch looked down at the tiny Who daughter, clinging to him as if terrified he would vanish.

_I'm not fit to take care of her. But I will be._


	13. Making Plans

"Let me guess," The Grinch tossed over his shoulder without turning around, "They want me to leave and never come back."

Officer Yoo's lips were in a thin, tight line as he stood at the doorway to Cindy's hospital room. The Grinch had pulled a chair up to the side of her bed, and slipped his hand through hers, holding it as her chest rose and fell slowly. The cold of the blizzard had seeped into her lungs, requiring her bedrest for the next few weeks.

"I'm not leaving without her this time." He kept his eyes fixed on her face, obscured by a breathing mask. "And you can tell them that."

Yoo sighed. "Grinch, Augustus was very sick, but he did have something right. Your cave up there is no place for Cindy. I saw those photos. Broken glass everywhere, rough rock flooring, dangerous tools lying all around, it's a nightmare."

"But it won't be." He turned his head enough to catch a glimpse of the Officer over his shoulder. "By the time she's well enough to move there, I'm going to have that whole place ready for her."

Yoo's eyes widened a little. He'd been there the previous Christmas, when the Grinch had invited all of Whoville into his cave. It was a gigantic place, easily the size of three or four large Who houses. "All by yourself? That whole place?"

"I built a sleigh capable of stealing Christmas in less than four hours." He grinned. "Give me some credit."

"And what are you going to feed her?" Yoo challenged. "She can't live off garbage. And education? Clothing?"

The Grinch turned back to Cindy. "Stu and Dru are probably looking for a job soon. I'm going to guess, even though it was proven they didn't take Who Hash, they're not going to be looked… kindly on." The silence behind him was answer enough. "Well, if the good citizens of Whoville don't want me near them, I'd say we need two official Grinch monitors, to come at least once a week and make sure I'm doing a good job keeping away. And if they happened to pick up supplies along the way and bring them up the mountain, who's the wiser?"

Officer Yoo considered this. "And education?"

"Once she's strong enough to make trips, she can use the Garbage chute back and forth from Whoville to Mt. Crumpet. I'll send Max with her. He'll report back to me, so I _know_ she's alright."

"And what if we need you again?"

The Grinch blinked, turning fully around. "What?"

Yoo leveled a hard stare at him. "Augustus is dead, but he left a lot of suspicion and fear behind. Things could happen. Bad things. Not as bad, but still. You were right, the Book of Who is clear who's our judge. Maybe not every crime deserves an execution, but if what you say is right, then our fear of you is what's kept us in peace for a very long time."

The Grinch's stomach turned. _This is what I signed up for when I accepted this responsibility._ Squaring his shoulders a little, he turned back to Cindy. "I guess you'll just have to keep me informed then, won't you? And I'll have to come down every now and then, whether they like it or not, to play judge. I just won't come down for more than that, I suppose. Not that I ever really cared to see any of their joyful smiling faces anyway." His thoughts snagged on Martha, but he pushed it away. She knew by now, and while she may have accepted him as just The Grinch, she had to know by now what he'd become… and that was unacceptable.

He swallowed a little. She would move on, have a happy life with someWho who would treat her like she deserved. Have lots of snotty, bratty little kids. Live in a big house all wrapped in Christmas lights year round.

He shook his head clear. He had to concentrate on Cindy now. Standing, he eased his hand out of hers. "Keep me informed. I'll be back to take her home when she's ready. I'll have the place inspected by then."

…

**Note: **Excuse the shortness, and any holes or rushed exposition, I'm so bloody tired, but wanted to post a chapter…


	14. Silent Apologies

From the moment she'd woken up in the hospital, she'd known it was only a matter of time. She didn't know how she'd gotten there, but however she had, He would come for her very soon.

She no longer felt like her insides were crawling to get out, but she hardly had the strength to raise her arms, much less run and hide.

And come he did. He'd staggered into her room like a crazed Who, eyes wild and darting. He'd drug her out of bed and set a knife against her throat. She'd closed her eyes and waited for the end… but it didn't come. He was waiting for something, and when she heard the screams from the hall, she knew. The Grinch was coming to save her.

But what bolted into the room wasn't the Grinch, at least, not as she'd ever seen him. He'd become a monster, something even her nightmares had never dreamed of. She could feel the blade parting the skin at her neck, and she held herself as still as she could on her trembling legs, barely able to hear the His ramblings.

She saw a green blur as the Grinch bolted past and around her, almost too quick for her eyes to follow. She felt His arm being jerked away, but the knife slid deep into her neck as it passed.

She crumpled to her knees, trying to drag herself away. Air. She couldn't pull any air into her lungs. A shadow passed overhead, and she heard a thud, but all she could think about was that she couldn't breathe. She was going to die, just like Mommy and Daddy. Her body sagged against the end of the bed as she lifted her eyes.

The Grinch was there, paused on all fours in the act of passing her, his eyes a deep, angry red. Horror rose in her, and she cringed back weakly.

His eyes lightened a little, the red dissipating into a deep yellow. Silently he reached out a hand, wrapping it around her neck. _You too?_ Her thoughts wailed, but all she could do was gasp in air.

Air. She could breathe. His eyes were red again, and he had fled the room.

She lay there for a moment, her thoughts gathering themselves from their scattered corners.

_The Grinch came for me. He came to save me._

_ He's a monster now._

_ He became a monster because he wanted to save me._

_ He can't save me, Mayor May Who will always come back._

Her eyes widened, and she pushed herself to her feet.

_He's going to make sure Mayor doesn't come back. Then they'll all always think he's a monster. They're never going to forget. No Mister Grinch!_

Staggering to her feet, she stumbled down the hall. The nurses and doctors were still in a panic, rushing to make sure all their other patients were safe. Nobody noticed the little Who girl, dressed in a thin hospital gown, making her way toward the doors.

She leaned against the doors, barely heavy enough to force them open. She slipped through the crack, and out into the waiting blizzard. Ice coated the stairs, and she slipped, rolling down the steps to land in a snow bank. The cold bit into her skin, and as she stood, the wind whipped through her gown. After only a minute outside, she could no longer feel her feet or hands.

She almost turned back to the hospital doors. It was warm inside, maybe there would even be a nurse there to wrap her in heated blankets and give her apple cider.

_His eyes were so sad when they were yellow._

She turned into the blizzard, reaching her hands out. Her legs felt like wooden blocks. She could only move them by shifting her hips back and forth, shuffling against the gale. The snow flew into her eyes, blinding her. She would never find him at this rate, never stop him.

"M….mm…"

_Don't do it. Please don't do it._

"M…..Mis…. Misssster…"

_Don't make them all think you're a monster. You worked so hard._

"Gr…riiinch…."

_You're not a monster. I'll be okay. I promise. Please._

"Please…M…mmm… mister…" Her legs gave way, sending her crashing face-first into the cold snow. She could feel the frozen air ripping at her lungs as she lay there.

Warmth. Something held her, wrapped around her in a tight embrace. Instinctively, she clung, even as her consciousness faded.

…

She felt something wet on her face. Warm, and wet, and moving. Lifting her eyelids, she stared into a huge black nose, just as a wet tongue caught the side of her face again.

Bewildered, she tried to push it back, but found she couldn't lift her arms. She wrinkled her face, tilting her head away from the tongue, which instantly stopped. Whatever it was lay curled up against her. She rolled her head back in the other direction to see Max, snuggled up against her, looking about as dolefully worried as a dog could possibly look.

"Max?" She croaked.

He whined, giving a couple of short barks.

She sighed. The Grinch seemed to understand Max, but she had no idea what he was saying. Where was the Grinch? It looked like she was back in the hospital room, but how had she gotten there? She was just outside, wasn't she?

"Dru, she's up!"

There was a rustle from the corner of the room, and two lanky forms appeared, one on either side of her bed. Two pairs of large, warm hands covered each of her own.

"Sis, hey." Dru hovered over her, peering anxiously. "You okay? Can you talk? You don't have to talk or anything really, but I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Of course she's okay." Stu's voice sounded strained. "Everything's gonna be fine now."

Dru glared at him. "How can you say that? He's gonna take her away now, and Who knows what will happen to her there!"

Her heart dropped. The Mayor was still alive, he was going to take her back.

Stu growled, "I don't like it either, but he's proven himself. He's got her back."

"How can you say that?" Dru hissed. "He's a monster!"

_A monster?_ Were they talking about the Grinch? Her heart rose. Was the Grinch going to take care of her?

Stu's expression darkened. "Look Dru, while you've been keeping an eye on Cindy, I've been back and forth checking on him, and let me tell you, he's working his fur off on that cave. I don't think he sleeps anymore, and he's doing all this for her. I think we can assume she's going to be safe. Besides, we're checking on her weekly on official business. He can't pull anything funny."

Dru's eyes narrowed. "Say what you want, but that thing is an animal. If he snaps, he could eat her up, or kill her, just like he did Augustus."

Stu released Cindy's hand, grabbing Dru's collar and dragging him around and out of the room. Cindy could hear the sounds of scuffling in the hall, and nurses calling doctors and security to stop them.

She closed her eyes. A tiny sob worked its way up into her throat, setting off a series of wracking coughs that shook her body. Max whined, putting a paw on her chest as if trying to steady her.

_They'll never ever let him live normally. I'm sorry Mister Grinch. I'm sorry._

….

**Note: **Haven't abandoned the story. If you know me, I don't abandon my stories (with the exception of two in my entire time on fanfiction.) It may take me months to return to them, but I don't abandon them. Just bear with me for sporadic updates that generally happen at 1 in the morning (shoot me).


	15. Welcome Home

**Note: **How long has it been? DON'T ANSWER THAT... I'm sorry...

...

She was dreaming again. Sometimes she couldn't tell the difference between waking and dreaming, but this had to be a dream. She could feel her father's arms lifting her up, cradling her close. Blurred voices drifted around her like a sleepy cloud. A warm, soft blanket was wrapped around her body. She was shifted, she felt, laid against something, and tied firmly to it.

What sort of dream was this?

She was moving. Whatever she was tied to was moving, but it didn't jostle her. She felt a snowflake drift against her skin, melting and trickling down her face. A few drifted against her lashes, the cold pulling her from her dreamishness. She opened her eyes.

She could see rocks, great blocks of wind-chiseled stone covered in snowdrifts passing by. If she turned her eyes downward, she could see the town. Something was moving her. She lay against something, but upright. Turning her head, she saw a hooded head in front of her, with a tuft of green sticking out from under it.

_Mister Grinch._

She realized, momentarily, that she was strapped to the Grinch's back, and that he was carrying her up Mt. Crumpet.

"What... about the trash?" She managed.

He paused for a moment, turning his head. "Snot nosed kids are supposed to sleep like rocks," he said gruffly. "You'd come out the other side hurting pretty badly if you went now. He did a number on you. You need to get stronger before you go that way again."

Cindy's eyes blurred with tears. "Why?" She managed.

He began climbing again, his voice curt. "Because I'm not letting something like this happen ever again. No tomfool who is going to look the other way, no cruel psychopath is going to beat you, I won't let them hurt you ever again."

She buried her face in his shoulder, her tears staining his burlap cloak. "Sorry," she cried softly, "M'sorry Mister Grinch..."

His climb came to an abrupt halt. She could feel the ropes around her loosening, as she was swung around to face him. His face was haggard, but his eyes were yellow. Yellow, and full of sorrow and rage. "Don't you say it, Cindy-Lou-Who. Don't you ever, ever say those words again, not as long as you live. It is not your fault. I don't know what you think is your fault, but it isn't."

"You did it for me," She croaked, her throat already dry in the higher altitude. "Changed more... now they'll never accept... I'm sorry, I ruined—"

He pulled her close to his chest, cradling her gently. "No more, Cindy. There are only two Whos in this entire snow-waste whose opinions and safety matter to me. I don't give two stakes of holly for the rest of them. Don't you ever apologize for that ever again."

Her arms had been wrapped close to her body, so she couldn't hold him back. Instead, she leaned her head against his chest, and held still as he wiped her face free of tears.

"Let's get up this mountain, kiddo, it's getting cold." He muttered, carefully returning her to her position on his back.

Cindy tried to stay awake, as they climbed Mt. Crumpet, but she continued drifting in and out of wakefulness. She couldn't seem to keep her eyes open, and every time they closed, she opened them onto a different section of the mountain.

This happened several times, before the Grinch finally stopped, loosening the ropes and laying her down. He carefully loosened the blanket around her, freeing her legs, and pulling her up to her feet. She felt her knees give out, but he caught her, holding her arms firmly.

Reaching forward, he opened his plain wooden door, guiding her inside. Her feet sank into something soft, and she looked down. Where once there was rough, slag rock floor, there was now sand. Everywhere she looked on the ground, sand covered the surfaces. She wiggled a foot, feeling around. It wasn't just a thin layer, either, she couldn't feel the rock floor anymore.

She looked up, and her eyes widened. All the walls had been blasted smooth. The junk and garbage had been shoved into a corner of the cave, making way for slightly more normal décor. Yes, the gigantic monkey with cymbals still dominated the main hall, but old, worn stuffed chairs littered the sandy floor, as well as a stained couch. The target-practice poster of Augustus was gone. No broken glass glittered from the floor.

Max bounded up to her, leaping up and licking her face excitedly. She gave a startled laugh, patting his head weakly.

"Down Max," The Grinch said, "She's tired from her trip."

Max dropped down to all fours obediently, wagging his tail in greeting. The Grinch reached down, picking Cindy up in his arms, and walking through the caves. She looked around as he passed through the halls. It hadn't just been the main rooms, he had done this in every part of his home. He'd made it safer for her.

He turned toward one cavernous hole, and stepped through. Inside was a broken-down four posted bed. Someone had slapped pink paint on it, hastily, leaving brown patches peeking through. Greenish-gray netting had been tied around the posts to simulate curtains, and the bedding was completely mismatched. But as he set her in the bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin, she knew there was nowhere else she'd rather be.

"Welcome home kiddo," He said quietly, patting her head. "Get some sleep. You're gonna have to help me figure out what you like around here when you get up."

Cindy felt the dreamishness returning, as she slipped back toward sleep, a smile on her face for the first time in weeks.

_Thank you Santa, for the Grinch._

...

**Note:** Ok, for the record, I think there is more to this story. I think there _needs_ to be more to this story with some of the setups I put in place. However, partway through Danem (which is an Invader Zim story I was writing) two more fanfictions in that series dropped into my head, and I wanted to write those. Where have I been? Finishing Danem. I am now on the next one in the series, Sempadinum. So, this fic is on Hiatus at the moment. I wanted to put it on hiatus at a good moment. I truly believe I will be back to finish this, but not for a long time.


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